Posts Tagged ‘license’

Research conducted by a driving charity and an insurance company has revealed that a quarter of all drivers who have accumulated 12 points, or in some cases a great many more, are still being permitted to take to the roads. According to Direct Line Insurance and Brake, one driver is still getting behind the wheel with 32 points.

Any motorist managing to accrue 12 points should, in theory, be banned from using a vehicle for at least six months. However, exceptions are made if a driver can prove that losing their license would result in what is termed ‘exceptional hardship’. This could be the loss of a job, or a partner walking out etc.

According to official figures, 10,072 drivers currently on the road have managed to evade a ban by persuading a judge that their lives would be damaged if they could no longer use a vehicle.

Julie Townsend, campaigns director at the charity Brake, has called on the government to take the situation seriously. She said that the points system was in place for a reason and that it was shocking that so many who should no longer hold a license still do. She explained that drivers allowed to get away with multiple offences were a danger to other motorists and the general public.

Direct Line’s pricing and underwriting director Andy Goldby said the wrong message was being sent out by allowing so many motorists to flout the law. He added that the ‘exceptional hardships’ people were claiming didn’t appear to be all that exceptional at all.